St Helens photographer shortlisted for global prize

Published:10:00Sunday 17 December 2017

Megan Giblin of St Helens has been shortlisted as one of the final 20 candidates from across the UK in a community-led photography project developed by global smartphone manufacturer Huawei and youth culture magazine Dazed.

The ‘Reveal the Real You’ initiative aims to identify untapped creative talent nationwide and will award three winners a £10,000 bursary to donate to a community cause of their choice.

The initiative, which forms part of Huawei’s Project Possible campaign, was set up to champion the inspirational stories of the people who are empowered by Huawei technology to achieve and do more.

Over the last month, 20 talented young people from around the country have been using the Huawei P10 smartphone, which comes equipped with a Leica dual-lens camera, to document communities, causes and ideologies that they feel passionately about, including gender equality, environmental issues, sexuality, and the impact of funding cuts in the arts.

Megan submitted a collection of images which raised awareness of mental health in regional communities like St Helens.

A powerful celebration of how positive activities can help relieve stress and anxiety, Megan is hoping to be awarded the bursary in order to help the St Helen’s Mind charity promote and preserve good mental health and to assist those experiencing mental distress.

Megan said: “I’m thrilled to be shortlisted for such a big competition, having followed Dazed throughout my education in fashion, I know how influential the magazine is.

“The competition has given me the chance to give back to my community and, in particular, to help St Helen’s Mind

continue their brilliant community work.

“Since using the Huawei P10, I’ve been so impressed with the quality of the camera and how it has so many functions to play around with.

“I am used to shooting on film and digital cameras so it’s been amazing to see the clarity and vibrancy of the images produced by the phone.”

Over the next month, a panel of expert independent judges will award three winners £10,000 each to donate to the charity of their choice, helping them to make a positive difference in their local communities.

Imagery from the shortlisted candidates’ will also display on Huawei’s Instagram channel over the coming weeks.

Andrew Garrihy, CMO for Huawei Europe, said: “At Huawei we believe in empowering people to use technology to unlock their potential. Technology is the great democratizer of our time and the huge range of themes depicted by our shortlisted candidates demonstrates just how powerful technology is in enabling people to express themselves.

“The P10 has been co-engineered with Leica technology, boasting a dual-lens camera with cutting-edge features such as precise 3D facial detection, allowing users to capture the moments that matter to them in extraordinary detail.

“We are delighted our device has helped give these talented young people the chance to shine a light on the issues they care about.”